Damn dirt bikers, they are not allowed on this part of the trail. While it is Their responsibility to ascertain where they are allowed to ride this trail is clearly posted and gated. Certain spaces are made in the fence and gate because bicycles and horses are allowed. Plus every gate has detours the quad ATV riders have made around, they need greater width. I don't mind calling Oban to me and having him sit and let legitimate users go by but it rankles when they are not supposed to be there AT ALL. This bunch of six at least slowed down (not all do) and tipped their heads in thanks BUT on trails where they are allowed they are supposed to STOP and lift their helmets so people can see their faces, and say hello. I can count on one hand the ones who have done this. For his part Oban probably loves them. He did a fabulous recall with swing to heel, sit and stay, all on hand signals, and when they'd passed by he got lots of treats. I bet when Oban hears them coming he thinks, "Oh boy, I'm going to get treats, lots of treats. Oh boy, oh boy." Are these a problem where you are? Off road vehicles? For some property owners they have caused extreme damage to land and fences. They have dug such deep trenches on public forest fire roads that fire trucks have been unable to get through. They drive right through my neighbours' flower garden in one spot nearby.
My hazards are very different teenage gangs drunks flashers and getting mugged. We get joy riders and stolen cars tanking about occasionally. It's ok here mostly
We get cyclists on a no-bicycle mountain path. I think they know they're not supposed to be there cos they stop their bikes when they pass you (anyway, it's so narrow, someone would have to move off the path). I mentioned to one guy that there was a hefty fine should he be caught. He responded very defensively and said that there are so many muggings on the mountain that people should be encouraged to be on the mountain paths, not discouraged, even if on a bicycle. I must confess that I've often felt similar about encouraging dogs on mountain paths because more dogs = more people = safer. On the paths that actively encourage dogs, there have been no criminal incidents (hope I'm not tempting fate!!). Thankfully Snowie does not chase bikes or runners although he does stop in the middle of the path and turn his head to look and wait for cyclists or runners to pass, which is very sweet but not really helpful because they have to try to get around him on a narrow path! He does get lots of pats, so maybe he's just waiting for them to pat him! @Snowshoe those off-road vehicles are just awful. I can't bear them. They are just bad for the environment. And your neighbour's flower garden!!
I don't think I have ever met anyone off road on a motorbike - I assume that it what you mean? None of the places I walk allow them. I mainly walk either on Commons and Deer Parks (in the City) or on National Trust Land (in the country). I meet a fair few mountain bikers - they are often annoying where tracks are shared, and pedestrians have the right of way. I do worry about my dogs, they can come up so fast, and quietly, that I sometimes don't have chance to call my dog to heel and I do worry that they might hit them. I was walking along stepping stones once, across a wide stream in a forest, and a chap on a mountain bike was sort of 'jumping' his bike from stone to stone. I was halfway across when he started from the other side, and he just stopped and looked at me like I was supposed to step off the stones into the river to get out of his way! What???? Rude, I told him. He had to get off and carry his stupid bike back the way he came!
Where I generally walk is full of mountain bike trails - but there's no-one there at 8:30 on a week day, even in the holidays. I avoid the place at the weekend. Occasionally there will be organised events for off-road motorbikes, but they are well advertised and easily avoided. The rest of the year, they are strictly forbidden and they do adhere to it. The plus side of having the motorbikes in the forest is they leave huge ruts which fill with water & mud, and Coco LOVES splashing through.
There are legitimate mountain bike trails in the Forest of Dean. I plan our walks so that we avoid them as much as possible. In the last few weeks we've encountered motor cyclists on tracks, and these are much more dangerous in my view. The first time I wasn't sure whet the noise was until a group of about 6 riders came around the corner. Fortunately Holly was close and I grabbed her collar. Today we met two more riders but saw them coming from a long way off. I wonder if i took their numbers if the Police would do anything?
We get the odd off-road motorbike on the trails (illegal), but fortunately I've never come across them (with or without pooch). The community police have been actively trying to crack down on it, and I haven't heard the roar of bikes much over the winter, but summer is just around the corner so time will tell.
We are supposed to get their license numbers and report them but - many aren't licensed. The license plate is small, at the back of their seat and often covered by trailing clothing or mud, they go too fast to get the license, I always face them with Oban and by the time I turn they're too far ahead. It's hard to get that number. There is a decibel limit of 90 on the motors which I think is far too high, we can hear them a long way away, and I think some exceed it.
Where I live in Spain, people get out onto the beach with those sail-powered go-cart looking things. They can go super fast and make zero noise. I hate them because I never hear them coming. There is no way you can get out of their path if they don't see you or just choose to buzz by with only inches to spare. When I see one, I just call it day because I know I'm not going to be able to relax walking there. Luckily there are a lot of beaches nearby, so you can pretty much hop in the car and go to the next one down the road with no problems but I still dread hearing about a dog or kid getting run over by one of those things.
In case it helps anyone else, a couple of the few who stopped (and were on an allowed trail) are the reason I wear a safety vest on every walk. They commented on how glad they were to see the vest because it gives them a heads up on seeing me. They compared me to a lady dog walking ahead of me, all dressed in brown, and they didn't see her till the last minute. In their words, "We're not all trying to hit you." I started wearing the vest just in shotgun season for deer but now all the time for the dirt bike riders, bicyclists, horse back riders, snowmobilers, anyone. It has four handy outside pockets I'd be lost without now I've gotten used to it.
We don't have that kind of problem here, but one of the houses we looked at buying had a path up past the house and through the land, which was used by endurobikes. The way it was, it would have been impossible to fence it off. At the point we looked at it, we didn't have dogs, but it would have been a nightmare with them. I'm glad we passed on that one. Not to mention the noise is ghastly.
